Mumbai landslide: BMC faces an uphill task of clearing debris

Pic/Sameer Markande

With the sites of landslides at Mahul and Vikhroli sitting at a higher gradient, civic authorities are struggling to clear the debris since they cannot use earth movers for the job. Instead, they have pressed labourers to clear the rubble. No power on Sunday night and lack of visibility due to heavy rain on Monday further slowed down the work.

Officials said the labourers have been dumping the rubble at one spot at Mahul which will be filled in sacks and brought down. Nineteen people died at this spot. In Vikhroli, where 10 lost their lives, the muck is being cleared without any help from machinery.

The landslide-affected site at Vikhroli; crumbled houses at Mahul that sit on a slope. Pic/Sameer Markande

The BMC has engaged 13 workers for clearing the remains of the house and mud at Mahul. Officials said it will take two more days to complete the work. At Vikhroli, 15 labourers have been pressed into service.

One of the labourers at the Mahul site said, "We have been working since Sunday. We could not do much at night since it was raining. Also, the electricity supply has been disconnected for fear of any further disaster. There is continuous water flow and constant fear of rocks falling."

Also read: Mumbai: Waterlogging, landslide hit Central Railway, Western Railway

Vibhas Achrekar, the assistant municipal commissioner of S ward, which covers Vikhroli, said, "The rescue operations [at Vikhroli] were called off by the NDRF, police and fire officials on Sunday late night as there was no more person feared to be trapped. Our work of clearing debris has begun and my ward's labourers are at the spot. As no machinery can be used, it will be cleared only manually."

15
No. of workers clearing debris at Vikhroli